To Gaia
by cloti93-4evah
Summary: Cloud is from the Realm. Tifa is from Gaia. When these two meet... AU, Cloti, minor Zack/Aerith.
1. Suggestion

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7 and its characters!

**Chapter 1**

"I think I want to go down."

"You want to what?"

"Go down." Cloud replied, his answer simple and direct.

Cloud's statement took his best friend by surprise. Zack stopped from his tracks, prompting Cloud to follow him.

As they stood there, the clouds that were pushed away by their earlier motion swirled around their legs, slowly spreading to cover the path that they had made.

"So that's what you had on your mind all the time? You should have said so!" Zack gave a small slap on Cloud's back, causing Cloud to topple forward slightly before regaining his balance. :Phew, for a second you got me worried."

"About what?"

At Cloud's puzzled expression, Zack sat himself on the path of clouds, causing it to swirl away from him before covering up the bald spots that surfaced from his motion. He pulled Cloud down to sit with him. Leaning his weight on his arms that were placed palm-flat behind him while his legs were laid out straight, he replied. "Truth to be told, I thought you wanted to forfeit your place." Another puzzled look from Cloud prompted Zack to explain further. "You know, as a royal."

"Oh, that." Cloud turned away from Zack. I never wanted to be one."

Zack looked at Cloud empathetically, a rare frown on his features. He placed his hands on Cloud's shoulder to offer encouragement to his friend. "But you are one because you can be one."

Cloud sighed. "I am one because I am forced to be one. Having the royal blood wasn't my plan."

"Oh, come on! At least you don't have to do all the normal chores every single day! Mopping and cleaning clouds from the floor… Aerith is very particular about me doing it." Zack tried to lift the blonde's spirit. Cloud turned to face Zack.

"Zack, you've been in my life for such a long time now." Cloud paused. _That sounded wrong._ "I mean, you're my best friend! You've seen how they fuss about me holding a broom, Zack. A broom! They're afraid that it would be enchanted by a witch, taking me away from here. Ridiculous." Cloud scoffed at the memory.

"But you do know that it's for your protection. You're the only one who can continue the line. You know I understand what you feel, but what I can do is to just help you see the bright side of how things are."

"There's nothing nice about being a royal here. I have my life planned out for me."

"Well, look at the bright side." Zack tried to think of something good that might come out from being a royal… And he almost gave up. But an idea popped up. "You don't have to slog to earn a living. Plus, you could still have the option of choosing your own wife! Isn't that something to look forward to?" Zack inserted a little bit of teasing into his sentence. Instead of giving the reaction that Zack wanted, Cloud's expression darkened.

"They've already chosen one."

Zack made a punching gesture up the air. "What? You already chose one? When?" When Cloud did not reply, Zack realized he got it wrong. "Wait; what do you mean by they?"

"The High Council. Royal life was better before this."

"Why?"

"Mother said it was for the continuation of the family line." Cloud plopped himself flat on the floor of clouds. "Though I doubt it will. Not if she forces me into it. Mistake on her part: she already did." Cloud turned away from Zack, facing the vast amount of white that filled the place. He liked it because it gave him a piece of something constant: something that will be there for him. At times when he felt down, he would find a spot on his Realm to blur his surroundings, away from the palace. Although the palace was almost completely white, it held a bond. It felt like prison. However, his spot full of clouds was an exception. Other than the palace, this place- Cloud Haven- which was not named after him, was the only place he was permitted to. Sometimes, he pitied himself for not knowing much about the world outside the palace. He also pitied the people for having rulers who pass decrees and laws without knowing what they're approving of.

While Cloud was sulking and deep in his thoughts, Zack didn't know what to do. This issue was something sensitive for Cloud. Although a solution to Cloud's problems may be easy to find, this was a problem that should not be made fun of or taken lightly. The dilemma that haunted Cloud started since childhood, when Zack still did not know Cloud. Cloud was lucky; or rather Zack was lucky that Cloud defended him when he sneaked in the palace during his early teenage years. When brought to the Queen, Zack gave a sheepish and embarrassed smile while Cloud tried to convince his mother to let Zack visit frequently. His effort paid off. In return, he gained a best friend who was there when he needed him. Zack was the only connection that Cloud had to the place outside the palace besides his sister. He had stepped out of the palace once; when he father was still alive. After the passing of his father, Cloud never saw other colour other than the palace's white surrounding.

Sometimes, he questioned the clothing protocol of the palace. Did they really had to wear white every single day? Even the palace guards wore white. The only other colours that he frequently saw were the colours on his eyes and those around him. Cloud got an idea and tore himself from his sulking.

"Zack?"

Zack tried to appear cheerful. His visits to the palace were meant to support his best buddy- whom many of Zack's female friends tried to meet by approaching Zack- not to dampen Cloud's spirit by joining the regrets of their situation. "Yeah?"

Cloud looked hesitant to state his request, but force himself to thrive on, partially distracting himself by focusing his gave on the infinite white around him.

"I want to go down."

"You said that already." Zack replied, puzzled. "But you know that it's impossible."

"No it's not." Cloud retorted. "I want to see Gaia and what it's like. I was supposed to go last year, when I was 18." Sadness overcame Cloud's face. "But dad died. Even Seph and the others didn't manage to get Mother's approval to bring me." Determination replaced his sadness. "But I want to see Gaia, and if possible, my own Realm. I'm sick of the palace. I'm not allowed to see my own Realm until I produce a child, what more Gaia? I'm not a baby-producing machine or something."

Zack was impressed by his friend's speech. Cloud wasn't a person of words; if he had words, it was on his mind. The only time Zack got to hear his ranting was now.

"So Zack, you can help me right?"

"How?"

Cloud thought for a while. "Bring me to the Crater?"

"The Crater? You want to get out of our Realm and visit Gaia? But you'll have to be out of the palace! Will the Queen have that? If she hears about it she'll explode!"

"No, she won't know about it. All you have to do is to help me convince her to let me out to our Realm. I'll go to Gaia via the Crater."

Zack considered it for a moment.

"And you know how to come back from Gaia?"

"I don't have to come back here, do I?"

"Cloud! If you're gone, We'll have no future ruler! Even if Aerith and I had a child, it won't count! And Mother- she'll be devastated."

Zack was worried about the future of the Realm. If Cloud left, the line of royalty would cease to exist. Even if Aerith, Cloud's sister, also of the Royal Family had a child, he or she would not be named an heir because royal blood in their Realm flowed to only one child in each generation. It was their genetic code which had an unseen physical difference that prevented royal blood from spreading. Cloud had been excited when he was declared that of royal blood. However, that slowly turned mundane as he was kept at guard at all times. Though Aerith was not of royal blood, she was equally loved by her parents. But whenever she went out of the palace, Cloud was not allowed to due to fear that he would be endangered. He thought that Aerith was lucky. She met Zack shortly after Cloud did and joined in their games. When they were old enough, the usual happened. They fell in love and after getting the Queen's approval, got married.

Cloud, on the other hand, had limited social experience. The fact that he defended Zack when he was younger surprised the Queen. When it comes to girls, there was no courtship- absolutely nothing- until last week- when he just turned 19, his mother announced his engagement to a hand-picked girl named Cissnei. One look at her and Cloud knew that she was the one- not for him.

Cloud responded Zack with a sigh and said, "Don't worry, Zack. I know my responsibilities. I'll come back. For now, will you help me get out of the palace, our Realm and into Gaia? And yes, I know how to get back here."

Now it was Zack's turn to hesitate. "I'm not sure..." He glanced a look at Cloud. That was all he needed to come to a decision. "All right, I'll help you."

XXX

"Your Highness, Prince Cloud would like to speak with you"

The Queen inwardly sighed- Cloud must be onto one of his quests of going outside the palace grounds again. Maybe it was about the marriage?

"Bring him in." She answered primly.

The Queen had expected Cloud alone to face her, so she was surprised to see Zack. She smiled.

"Zack, what a pleasure to see you, my son. Where is Aerith?"

Although Zack had been her 'son' for more than a year, he still wasn't used to that term.

"A pleasure to see you too,…" _Mother? Queen? Mother? Queen? _"…Mother. Aerith is unwell today and excused herself from coming, though she did ask me to send her regards to you."

"Oh, my poor dear. I shall visit her later. Why didn't the guards announce your arrival? I could've asked for dinner to be prepared for you."

Zack replied politely. "No, please spare yourself from trouble, Mother. I didn't want to make my visit a fuss."

"So you've come to visit Cloud and I?"

"Well, yes and no." Zack was having difficulty conversing in a proper manner. His free-spirit felt suppressed. "I did visit Cloud first as planned and I wanted to visit you. But Cloud does have something to say." The Queen's attention shifted to Cloud. "Cloud, dear. You've been awfully quiet since last week. Is there something on your mind?"

Cloud picked up his determination. "Yes, Mother. I've been wondering if I could visit our Realm."

"Cloud, we've been through this before."

"But, Mother, I hadn't been allowed to be out there since 12 years ago. Besides, Zack agreed to vouch for my safety. And I do want to visit Aerith."

The Queen eyed Cloud skeptically. "You do know that I myself had not set a foot out of this palace, even with your father." The Queen's expression softened. "But you've been out there once. Isn't that enough for you?"

"But Mother, I was only 7! I can't remember every detail that I saw. I just wish to relive my experience before I am bound by marriage."

The Queen gave another inward sigh and decided to give in, just this once. Ever since his first exposure to the Realm, Cloud wanted to get out of the palace more and more often. But the death of the King brought fear into the Queen's heart that she may lose another family member, thus preventing Cloud from his wish. The Queen had tried to get Cloud involved with classes to fill Cloud's time but he had been a fast learner and had mastered everything thrown at him. Ever since then, and even before that, he felt lonely. With Aerith's decision to live at the Realm instead of the palace when she married Zack, he had been cooped up in the palace, waiting to turn 21 to be old enough to involve himself in the Palace Parliament, where he will pass decrees that its effect was unknown to him. Cloud's constant persuading did play a part in accumulating the force to push the Queen's defense. Might as well get over it once and forever.

"Very well then. " A flicker of surprise passed Cloud's face. Was she approving of him visiting the Realm? After years and years of persuading, all it took was to bring Zack along? Zack didn't even had to utter a word to convince the Queen. "You may leave the palace tomorrow, but-"

Cloud's face dropped. _No, no,no._ "Zack and your mentors have to go with you."

XXX

The three mentors. Ack- why didn't he think about it? Sephiroth, Genesis and Angeal. These three were the strictest mentor that Cloud had ever known. When Cloud was 12, he had almost successfully climbed over the palace walls, provided- he didn't have to climb. His wings had been sufficient enough. But, he was still a beginner at that time, and Angeal managed to catch him before he made it out of the very high walls. After that, the number of guards placed in the palace was almost uncountable, he gave up trying and unwillingly resigned to his fate. To counter the current situation that he was in, he and Zack made a plan to allow Cloud to escape. Instead of leaving the palace for the Realm the next day, they decided to make it into a trip _very early_ the next day. Thus it landed them where they were. At 3 a.m. in the morning, they were making their way out of the palace and into the Realm.

Cloud's mentors were not excited to make the trip. The lived in the Realm and visited the palace to mentor children of the Royal Family. To put things simple, the Realm was like an ant to them- plenty of it in their everyday life. But to Cloud, it was something rare. Perhaps it was like an endangered species of Unicorn to Cloud. However grumpy they were, they had to make their way to the palace and be the bodyguards of the prince, albeit an undercover one. Cloud had changed into a less eye catching clothes- wearing all white in the wee hours of the morning was too flashy. Sephiroth, Genesis and Angeal who were duty-bound and pulled out of their comfy beds at 2 a.m. in the morning wore differently than when they were in the palace. Just as Cloud released his wings and got ready to fly-

"No, no, no! You don't fly around here!" Zack shouted while simultaneously pulling Cloud down to the ground by his hand. Cloud turned to Zack. "Why?"

A deep tone answered him. "Too many people were knocking into each other in the dark. You can call it as traffic congestion, Cloud. Remember Section 8.6 of Social Studies?"

Cloud replied grumpily. "Yes, Sephiroth." Now Cloud recalled his lessons about the Realm. "Ever since year 2915, this rule was implemented to avoid head to head collision as well as wing collisions." Sephiroth nodded in approval. "I'm impressed."

A cool, calm voice spoke. "Maybe it's because of his photographic memory. I am quite sure he didn't actually revise your _boring_ lessons everyday." Genesis continued fiddling with the rose in his hands, which Cloud thought was for his wife. "Besides, Social Studies is boring. It t has not much practicality whatsoever at times like this. And I mean at 3 in the morning, Social Studies won't fight criminals away. Sword fighting, on the other hand, is more appreciated at times like this."

"And yet I managed to beat you at the Loveless tournament." Sephiroth retorted.

"It was your luck. I hadn't been polishing my sword skills since my student-" Genesis glared at Cloud "-was too sulky about his upcoming wedding to care about polishing his fighting skills."

"Hey, hey guys, we didn't come here to chat, right? Cloudie here had just taken 0 steps and 10cm of flying before you guys got into lovers' spat. Come on. Aerith says she's waiting."

"At 3 in the morning?" Angeal, who had pushed Sephiroth and Genesis' objection about Zack lebelling their quarrel as 'lovers' spat' to the background inquired.

"Well, yeah. It's a weird time to be out, I agree, but she's used to it."

All of them with the exception of Zack rolled their eyes. "Too much information, Zack." They said in an almost unison tone and started walking. Zack stared at their back, wondering what they were talking about until the implication of his remark sank in and made him flush with embarrassment. It took him some time to realize he had been left behind. He ran to catch up with the others.

"I didn't mean it that way." He got a sarcastic "Yeah, right." as a reply. He gave up trying to convince them.

"So, Cloud. Any reason why you chose this time to visit the Realm?"

"No, nothing in particular. I was just too excited to be out of the palace. I just want to maximize my time here."

"And jump into the Crater to Gaia." Zack muttered under his breath, his words audible to Cloud only. Angeal nudged Zack. "Is Aerith well enough to be up at this time? She's sick. We'll be out here the whole day, so we can visit later.

Cloud and Zack wanted to protest. Visiting the house early in the morning was in their plan, although Aerith knew nothing about it. Any forms of protest were washed away when Sephiroth, indirectly, came to the rescue. "According to my theoretical experience in Social Studies and applying it to the current situation," Sephiroth gave Genesis a smirk. "She thinks that the Queen might change her mind about allowing Cloud to visit the realm." Pocketing the rose in his front pocket, Genesis replied. "Bravo, Sephiroth. Social Studies has its use after all."

"Plus the fact that she may be uncomfortable to sleep in her feverish state when she declines medicine that might help her sleep." Angeal added, not wanting to be left behind.

"Well, combine Sephiroth and Angeal's theory and disregard Genesis' remark, you get your answer."

"Wow, Zack. You're predictable." Cloud stated, amused.

"Come on, it's Aerith that's predictable! Plus, they've been in their fields almost all their life! You see their grey hair?"

"It's silver, Fair."

XXX

The door opened to reveal a brown haired woman who managed to put a genuine smile one her face even when she was unwell. Her eyes lit up as she identified her guests. "Cloud!" She threw her brother in a hug. Cloud returned the gesture, at the same time noticing her high temperature. Aerith greeted her husband with a kiss on his cheek, not intending to spread her sickness- and gave a small hug to her former mentors.

"I'm so glad you guys could make it today! I've been wanting to visit the palace, but I got sick." Her cough proved her point, while Cloud and Zack looked on distastefully.

"You should be resting right now." Zack's voice was filled with genuine concern. Aerith shook her head. "I want to catch up with you guys a bit before that."

When Aerith made up her mind, that was that. So instead to trying to accomplish something that is impossible, he focused on more possible ones.

"Uh, guys, I have a virtual simulator that you may want to check out. Maybe Seph and Gen can sort the 'Swordsman of the year' thing and Angeal can be the judge." Zack started.

Genesis showed a mild interest along with Sephiroth. Angeal looked like he just wanted out.

"But we just arrived here. The Princess wants to catch up with us, doesn't she?"

Aerith seconded the opinion while Zack and Cloud tried to coax them into agreeing. The plan was to make their way to Zack's house, distract the mentors with the virtual simulator and rush Cloud to the Crater. Although Cloud did want to explore the Realm, it couldn't be done if he wanted to. He had to get to Gaia; fast.

"Look, you don't have to hide it, Zack." Angeal stated. Zack tried to look innocent. "Huh? Hide what?"

"The fact that you're helping Cloud to get to the Crater, and then Gaia."

"Umm… what?" Zack's façade was slowly diminishing and nervousness crept into him. Aerith looked on, puzzled while Cloud buried his head in his palms, realizing things were going south.

"If it wasn't for the fact that I overheard your plans at the Cloud Haven-" Zack and Cloud looked at Sephiroth with surprise. "-I would've read it off you two." He smirked at the already seated Genesis again. "Benefit of Psychological Studies." Angeal rolled his eyes and repositioned his Buster Sword. Zack had one exactly like his. Even if Angeal specialized in healing, he sure had a great sword skill and collection.

Genesis' scoff was the last thing heard before the living room of the Fairs went silent.

"Fine, I was going to escape you guys and get to the crater with Zack." Cloud admitted. Zack sighed. Mission impossible is impossible.

"You didn't have to hide it from us." Genesis' voice was calm as it permeated the room. He looked up from his book- Loveless- which Cloud wasn't sure if it was there a few seconds ago.

"But you would've stopped me." Cloud replied, trying not to sound like a child.

Zack chipped in. "You guys are the strictest mentors." He paused. "He just wants to see whats outside our Realm."

Sephiroth sighed. "I shouldn't have told you about Gaia. But what's done cannot be undone." Sephiroth turned to his two close friends and they looked at each other before nodding, as if they've reached an agreement. Aerith, who lied on the couch as gracefully as possible looked on along with Zack and Cloud. She didn't plan to protest to her brother's wish. He had, in her opinion, suffered long enough in the palace. Her decision to leave the palace hurt her, but she didn't want to be 'imprisoned' in the palace forever. Cloud had been understanding and encouraged her to live in the Realm.

"Cloud, we know how much this means to you." Sephiroth started.

"But you'll have to get pass us-" Genesis continued.

"-before going to the Crater."

XXX

If there was one thing that Cloud hater the most, it was sparring swords with his three mentors. Years of training got him where he was: he could take them one at a time, but three? He might as well stay in the palace for eternity. But the thought of living a mundane life made Cloud shudder.

"Fine. I'll take you guys on." He finally said, breaking the silence that clouded the room.

Sephiroth, Cloud's closest mentor raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that it is worth putting your pride on the line just because of Gaia?"

_This is it, Cloud. Fly._ "I can try to take on you. Even if I can't, at least I'll know I did something and stood up for myself."

The three mentors' amused "Hmm…" filled the room. Then Genesis, the mentor that young Aerith once had a crush on (_Cloud! He's so handsome!)_ laughed. He was joined by his two companions.

"What's so funny?" Cloud asked defensively. Aerith and Zack were as puzzled as Cloud was.

"Relax, your Highness. We were just testing you." Genesis said. Before Cloud could say anything, Angeal continued. "We've seen your determination," Cloud hated it when they continued each others sentence. "And we've decided to help you." Scratch that. He loved it to death.

* * *

I know I promised to update "Trust Me", but I'm kinda blocked now. It was torture forcing myself to write, so I'm writing this first for now. I'm very sorry, but don't worry- I'll not leave it at that. As for now, enjoy this AU. I wanted it to be a one-shot but I'll see how it goes.

Reviews are loved!


	2. Preparation

**Chapter 2**

"I don't see why I can't walk around the Realm before going off."

"Sephy already explained that part, Cloud." Zack answered, not bothered by the way he addressed Cloud's mentor. If anyone from the palace heard Zack calling Sephiroth by his nickname, they would've thought that Zack was disrespectful. Only a small group of them knew how tightly knit they were, however strange it was.

Cloud had introduced the silver haired Sephiroth to Zack a few weeks after Zack's first impression that Zack got of Sephiroth was that he held a presence that demanded respect. The aura around him screams of protectiveness over the prince. Although Zack never did join Cloud in Sephiroth classes because he found it too boring, he got to know Sephiroth better throughout the years and the man started to lower his walls around him bit by bit.

Eventually, Zack did get involved with some classes that Cloud was in, depending on whether the mentor allowed him to or not. It wasn't compulsory for Zack to attend, so he chose certain ones that he was interested in, mainly classes that did not clash with his study time and had to deal with swords. Genesis would be the one who conducted the classes but Sephiroth and Angeal would join once in a while. When the three of them got together to spar, it was something not to be missed.

Zack didn't always stick with the same mentors. The amount of mentor that Cloud had was crazy. Unfortunately, not all of them were welcoming. Some of them looked down on him and called him an opportunist who is trying to get some special treatment by befriending the secluded prince- while others where kind to him, sensing that he was a good social addition to the Prince's life.

Whatever it was, Zack couldn't bring himself to regret the day he 'infiltrated' the palace. He was glad that the security that day was miraculously weak, resulting in a whole new plan of reinforcing the security of the palace. Being welcomed by Cloud was great and when Aerith came about… Wow.

"Zack?" A hand waved itself in front of Zack. "Zack?"

Zack broke from him daze by the distraction his friend provided. They were in the attic fiddling through some boxes that were neatly stacked on one another. Cloud was sitting on one while checking another. Zack who had just awoken from him daze sat on the floor, reaching his hands into the box in front of him to pull a piece of article out.

"Sorry, was kinda daydreaming."

Cloud chuckled. "Seems like you all right. Now…" He took an object from the box. It wasn't what he was searching for so he placed it back into the box, pushing it away and took another box to be examined. "What kind of clothes are we looking for?"

"This kind." Zack handed the article that he had previously took out and handed it to Cloud. Cloud held it and spread it in front of him. His brows scrunched. "I don't know if I'm correct, but I thought I saw one of these in Sephiroth's books. They were worn in the 70s. I don't think Gaia is still in the 70s." Cloud eyed Zack curiously. "You wore these to Gaia?"

"Heck, no!" Zack snatched the polka dot shirt from Cloud. "It's something like this but not as…" Zack paused to find the word. "…flashy."

"But you went there only three years ago. And if I'm not wrong, the timeline of Gaia is almost in sync with ours."

"True. I didn't wear this when I was there, but Kunsel gave it to me. He said it was a collectors' item."

"Oh, your friend." Cloud recalled Zack relating to him about his friend in Gaia. Zack was lucky that he managed to find a person willing to take him in in Gaia. Kunsel didn't even questioned where Zack was from.

The thing about going to Gaia was this: the people of the Realm had known the existence of Gaia since forever. But Gaia didn't know of the existence of the Realm. Cloud didn't know why. His history books didn't explain about that. So when a person from the Realm goes to Gaia, he'll either start from nothing or he could join the group of people from the Realm 'vacationing' in Gaia. Cloud decided that he wanted some challenge, so he opted for the former.

"Yeah. He likes this kind of stuff. It was a parting gift. But I think he already wanted to throw it away. It was his father's." He put the shirt back into the box. "If you see him there, say hi for me would you?"

Cloud hummed an agreement. "If I can recognize him. So exactly what kind of clothes?"

"Like ours, Cloud."

"Then why can't I borrow yours or wear mine?"

"Yours is all white- definitely inappropriate. My clothes-" Zack grinned "-the trousers are too long for you."

Cloud rolled his eyes. Was anyone going to give him a break about his height? "Wow. Surprising." He said sarcastically. Cloud, at 5'7" was considered short. Over the years of being 'short', he had learnt some useful techniques. For example, he would use his wings to his advantage while taking a family photo. That way, he was able to lift himself up and look a bit taller.

"Your sarcasm is improving. Keep at it, Cloud." Zack pushed the box in front of him to the side, pulling another near him. He examined the contents. "Bingo! I have a few here." He took out an article from the box and passed it to Cloud. "These should fit you. I wore it when I was 16." He smirked. Cloud made an annoyed face but thanked Zack. They continued to rummage the boxes in the attic and finally descended and headed down.

Sephiroth had earlier on returned to his house to 'get something' while Angeal was tracking down some records. Aerith who apparently still couldn't sleep chatted softly with Genesis while she laid on the couch with a cup of water placed on the table beside her.

"Gen, no flirting with my girl there." Zack said jokingly. Bluish-green eyes glared mockingly at Zack. Zack turned to Cloud. "I'll be going to take some Gil. It's the currency used in Gaia. You stay put here okay?" A slap on the blonde's shoulder and Zack was gone.

"Cloud." Aerith voice held some soreness in it. Cloud figured it must've been the effect of her fever. The young woman excused herself from her conversation and moved to stand up. She was still weak, but wasn't as weak as before due to the healing spells that Angeal had cast upon her a while ago. Genesis and Cloud rushed to help her, but she declined their help.

"I'm better now." She turned to her brother. "Cloud, can you come with me for a minute?" Cloud agreed and Aerith led him through the house. He followed closely behind her in case she felt weak or fainted. As he absorbed his surrounding, he was filled with awe. He did notice the vast amount of colours when he stepped into the house for the first time minutes ago, but he was too caught up in carrying out his plan to notice. Right now, he was just savouring the joy and exhilaration of having colours surround him. Was this how the Realm looked like in daylight?

Will Gaia be as colourful as this?

The room that Aerith brought him to was neat and tidy, no doubt the arrangement of Aerith. Cloud assumed that it was a study room. Everything essential was there, almost the same as his. The only difference it held was its colours. Cloud felt like it was bombarding him. He wondered if he would've been distracted if he used that study room. His was all white. Monotone. Everything blended in together. Nothing stood out, nothing ignored.

Aerith sat him in one of the chairs and she took another. She turned slightly only to open up a small drawer beside her and held a glassy, shiny vial that kept a green-lime coloured liquid in it. The colour fascinated Cloud as it had a neon glow to it. She pressed the bottle into Cloud's hands.

"What is this?" Cloud placed the bottle nearer to him to inspect it. Aerith shook her head.

"I'm not so sure myself. But I do know what it does." She leaned back in her chair. "I knew one day you'd be going off." She caught Cloud by surprise. "I saw it. I didn't tell anyone. Not even Zack."

Cloud nodded in understanding.

"Cloud, listen very carefully." She placed her hand on his. Her face began to get serious."You have to take this once a month to avoid fan-girl mobs."

"What?"

"When Zack got there he told me that there were crazy fan girls who followed him around. Gaians are dangerous. You'll have to watch your back there." The tone that she used and her expression were both dead serious.

"You're joking right?"

Aerith grinned. "What if I'm not?"

"What if you are?" Cloud countered.

His question was met with Aerith's feminine laugh. She sounded healthy, as if she wasn't suffering from fever just a few minutes ago. Zack should have brought Angeal to heal Aerith sooner. Cloud joined her laughter with a chuckle. When her laughter died down, she listened warily for a moment and made sure no one was near before explaining.

XXX

Cloud and Aerith made their way back to the living room, the vial safely hidden in Cloud's pocket. Angeal was still seated at his place. Genesis had already joined Angeal. Cloud helped Aerith to settle down on her couch and was about to approach his two mentors when the door opened to reveal Sephiroth who was wielding…

Cloud couldn't hide the excitement from his face. Was Sephiroth going to give _it _to him earlier than promised? Sephiroth almost let out a laugh at Cloud's face. It wasn't easy to excite Cloud but he knew that the sword that was forged specially for Cloud would bring a light unto his face. Without a word, Sephiroth threw the sword towards Cloud, confident that his student would catch it swiftlessly. Cloud didn't fail him.

Cloud had a firm grip on the hilt of the sword and he laid his hands on the smooth blade. The touch of it was comforting. First Tsurugi was a sword that Cloud personally designed when he was 15 with some help and improvisation from Sephiroth. When the sword was forged, Sephiroth thought that Cloud was too young to keep it, thus using it for Cloud's training, but promising to only hand it to him when he was 21.

"I figured you'll need this." Sephiroth chuckled at the simple awe on Cloud's face. "Gaia is dangerous but its residents hardly use swords. You'll have to minimize it most of the time." He stepped around the room and sat himself with his two friends. Cloud was still in awe. He didn't know what to say except the word "thank you". This had been the best day of his live! Getting out of the palace, the excitement to get to Gaia and the chance to permanently claim ownership of First Tsurugi. The only disappointment that he faced was not being able to visit the Realm before making his move. Aerith's predictions had been right. Sephiroth had already received orders to escort Cloud back to the palace before dawn approaches. The Queen was, as Cloud put it, 'overreacting' again. The have less than two hours before making their way to the Crater.

Sephiroth nodded while Cloud made his way to where his mentors were. Before he could reach them, Sephiroth raised his hands and warned Cloud. "No hugs." Cloud made an annoyed face and rolled his eyes. He plopped himself on the chair next to Sephiroth, placing First Tsurugi carefully in a way that wouldn't hurt anyone or the floor.

"Hugs were 10 years ago. I'm 19 now. Even if you want my hugs, there's none for you."

"Lucky me."

Genesis and Angeal gave out hearty chuckles. Aerith, even in her state, giggled.

"Hey, did I miss something or what?" Zack came down from the stairs with two boxes in his hands. Cloud knew that Zack was strong enough to handle it, but it made him feel guilty if he didn't help. Zack was carrying the boxes that contained items that he needed. Cloud wouldn't just throw the whole responsibility to his best friend. He got up from his seat, placed First Tsurugi carefully and took the box that was obscuring Zack's face, at which Zack thanked him. Angeal filled Zack in while Cloud helped Zack.

"Sephiroth has a fear of Cloud's hugs. It's amusing." He laid the pen that he was holding on the table, leaning back in his chair.

"His hugs are actually frightening." Genesis said.

"I told you it was 10 years ago since I've given you guys any hugs. I've graduated from it!" Cloud placed the box that he was holding on the floor and Zack did the same.

"Death hugs you mean."

"What?"

"You last hug was for me." Zack straightened himself up and used his thumb to point to himself. "It was the last hug you ever gave for a reason." Zack chuckled. "For a moment, you almost choked me there. I thought the bruise I got wouldn't heal."

"You guys are unbelievable."

"It's okay, Cloud. You were really cute, hugging people when you were younger. I wish you hadn't stopped."

"I still hug you."

"It's different. You were so cute hugging Sephiroth's leg. Aerith gave a sigh. A look of disbelief crossed Cloud's face.

"You know what? We are not having this conversation right now. We're just going to open the boxes, pack some things and get to the Crater." Laughter resurfaced in the room while Cloud opened one of the boxes. Zack, still in his laughter joined him.

"These" laugh "boxes" laugh. Zack cleared his throat. "have all you need for your stay in Gaia, but I don't think you'll have enough trousers. You'll have to but it there with Gil-" Zack took out a bagful of coins to Cloud. "-so protect your stuff. Especially Gil. About accommodation… Angeal?"

"You'll be sent to Midgar. The density of people of our Realm there now is lower. It'll be best to put you there. Now the hard part is to actually get to the Crater and bypass the check points. I can teleport you in, but it means that you'll have to say farewell here." Angeal supplied. "Genesis can make some evidence for you but you'll have to come back before 6 months. Longer than that, you'll be traceable. Excuses would no longer be tolerated by the Queen by then."

Cloud was a little unsure. What Aerith said had bothered him, but it meant that he was supposed to be in Gaia. He nodded.

"Cloud." Sephiroth's voice sounded. "Take good care of yourself. I don't want my mentee injured."

"We won't be there to help you, but if we think you'll be needing it, we'll be going down." Cloud couldn't believe that he was in a way fortunate to have such supportive mentors that he had come to know as friends.

"And don't forget these." Zack handed a black bag full of necessities to Cloud. "Take care."

All had said their farewells except one. Cloud almost dropped his bag when he was bombarded in a hug. "Remember what I said, Cloud." Aerith voice was teary. "Take care of yourself, okay? Make sure you're safe." Cloud rarely showed his emotions, but his eyes held sadness. It was hard to part with those who were closest to him. But he had to. He didn't want to be cooped up forever. He hugged his sister back with one arm and released her. They nodded at him with encouragement and he nodded back. He headed towards Angeal with his belongings in hand. Angeal closed his eyes in concentration. He placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder for contact and disappeared from the Fairs' home along with Cloud.

XXX

"The coordinates have been set." Angeal said to his student. He and Cloud were both in the air. Below them is a vast hole of darkness that would lead Cloud to Gaia. Before he got to where he was, he had seen plenty of the Realm's residents going in and out of Gaia. Each path on the Crater led to different places. His was headed to Midgar. "This should land you in the streets of Midgar. But ready yourself for coordinate complications. When you're ready you can go. Remember, Gaians do not have wings."

Cloud nodded. "Thank you." He readied himself and took a look at his surrounding. He couldn't see much. There was a mist of green swirling around them. It was semi-opaque and made things around seem blurry and fuzzy. He took a look at Angeal before getting ready to plunge down. "Tell everyone to take care. You too, Angeal."

The path was smooth but it was also dizzying. It had a kind of suction that made him felt heavy. The path was dark. He didn't have to do much except follow the flow. Before he went too deep, he heard Angeal's voice warning him. "I forgot to tell you! There's something about the atmosphere there that will make you feel like Atlas!"

XXX

He felt heavy. He felt like Atlas indeed. His limbs were hard to move and his body felt heavy, making him glad that he had actually hid his wings before reaching his destination. His mind swirled and he felt heat bombarding his skin. He was sweating terribly. It felt so hot. When he finally managed to focus his gaze, he tried to take in his surrounding. He registered the sound of a door closing behind him. Then a shriek.

* * *

Phew! This chapter was hard to write. I feel like I'm repeating too many words. Hopefully the characters are not too out of place. I'm not very good at decribing surroundings with flowery words, so forgive me if I did mess up.

If there is anything that I need to justify, just ask~

Reviews are loved!

Hugs from Cloud! (If only that is possible.)


	3. Arrival

**Chapter 3**

It was hot. So, so hot and Cloud felt like an ice cube waiting for its impending doom. He was sweating bullets- definitely more than he ever had before. His eyes couldn't focus and he felt heavy. The ringing in his ears magnified the shriek and the incoming door slam.

Gaia sure bombarded him with welcoming gifts to die for.

He couldn't think coherently, thus ignoring whatever was happening around him. He mustered his strength into his arms and tried to grip something; anything that he could clutch to as a life-line. Something soft met his hand. It reminded him of home- of the cloud that he slept on. Without thinking, he tried to climb it and was delighted that it was big enough to support him.

Although his breathing was a little heavier than normal, the ringing in his head faded a bit and he didn't feel so lightheaded anymore. He subconsciously noted to thank whatever it was that he was lying on for swallowing the pain of 'Gaia's gift'.

At the back of his half-fried mind, he wondered if what he went through happened to the people of the Realm when they got to Gaia. He started to not care and began to allow the darkness to tug him.

Until a voice told him to get out of her bed.

It was a female. _Her _voice told him that.

He opened his eyes to find the source. His eye-sight was thankfully more focused than before. He briefly scouted his surrounding before landing his eyes on a thin figure with damp black hair, silky skin and… is that a scoop in her hands?

"I said get out of my bed!"

Cloud could only dumbly reply. "Uhh... This is… your… bed?"

"Yes, mister." Her hands straightened as she gripped the scoop tighter. "Now get the hell out of here before I call the cops."

That woman was sure scary, but fear was evident in her eyes.

"Cops?" Cloud brought himself to a sitting position on the bed. He felt sore. "Is that a kind of food?"

"What?" His answer rewarded him a bemused look and prompted the woman to steady her stance. Her eyes never left him as she reached for a tiny object on a desk and started pressing it.

Cloud analyzed the object the she was now had against her ear with fascination. "Wow. What's that?"

Instead of answering him, the woman gave him a baffled look mixed with fear. Cloud was puzzled. Why did she fear him? He sighed. Zack must have lied. Gaians didn't seem all friendly.

"Damn it, Vincent. Pick up." He heard the woman mutter under her breath.

Vincent? That object is a thing called vincent? Hmm… _I thought it's a name._ And what's that word? Dam?

After a brief moment, the woman appeared frustrated.

"Vincent. It's urgent. I know you'll listen to this so please please please come over ASAP, okay?" On of her hands were still pointing the scoop at him. She clammed the object- _vincent_- shut and glared at him.

"Now you. Where did you come from?"

"Uhh…" Cloud scratched his neck. He was nervous. "Ice- icle Villa-edge" Was that how Zack pronounced it?

"You mean Icicle Village." She eyed him suspiciously.

"I guess."

"And you have the emblem tattooed on your arms?"

Emblem? What's tattoo? "Erm, yeah of course!"

"Prove it then." The woman challenged him.

How was he to prove it? Frustrated, Cloud pulled his short sleeves up and showed the mark on his arm to her. It was made when he was just born. It was a sign of his royalty and he doubted she'll recognize it.

Her eyes focused on his arms and inspected the mark. "That's not a tattoo."

"It isn't?"

"No. And as far as I know, people from Icicle Village never had any tattoos, neither do they break into people's house to sleep on their bed!" Those eyes of hers turned dangerous. "I'll give you another chance. Answer honestly and maybe I'll let you slip."

Hmm… Answer honestly or lie. Cloud was rather fond of the latter but if his prediction was true, he would end up in a very bad shape if she detected his lie again.

"I'm from another… world. I can't tell you where it is."

"Rightttt… You're an alien whose spaceship is invincible and microbe who just happened to land on my floor and crawl to my bed."

"It was kinda soft." He shrugged. "It reminded me of my cloud. I can assure you whatever an alien and a spaceship is; I am neither of that."

"Prove it."

"Prove what?"

"That you're from another world. And no tricks. Anything weird and I'll dial the cops."

"So that's what vincent does?" He pointed to the object in her hand.

She was puzzled. Again.

"Urgh. Just prove it."

Cloud looked at her. Everything about her was the same like that of a resident of the Realm. How could he prove their difference? Then he noticed the lack of something at her back. Maybe…

Cloud focused his energy.

Wide, white feathers that lightly shone filled the airspace of the room where they were in. It was almost too cramped for him.

_That ought to prove it._

The next thing he heard was the dull thud of the scoop on the carpeted floor.

* * *

Sorry for such a short chapter but it is for a reason. I re-read the other chapters and it felt crappy. Too much rambling. Haha.

Please review~ =)

Thanks for reading.


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